What an amazing Gam3rcon! It’s fair to toot our own horns and let go of a shred of modesty in order to declare that this year’s con has been an amazing ride for everyone involved. According to early guesstimations it seems we broke 3000 attendees this year with Saturday sending us over the edge by a long shot.

It was exciting and thrilling and thanks to all of our volunteers (MoAT) we were able to organize the chaos this year. Every single one of you guys made it possible to put this event on and make it the greatest one thus far and we are now all part of this family so be proud and know that you are responsible for making this all possible!

Check out and tag yourself in the photos at: https://www.facebook.com/Gam3rConSD/photos_albumsRight off the bat there were dozens of people lining up to get a chance to peak into Gam3rCon. We saw clown zombies, princesses, military men, other cosplayers all woven into the group of gamers that came to enjoy Gam3rCon 2013 this year.VIDEO GAME ARENA, fueled by Black Powder UltraThe video game arena saw the biggest expansion in terms of space and gamers. With the first Gam3rCon League of Legends tournament going on through the week, we’ve created some amazing new buzz in the community and we’re looking forward to having a bigger and better tournament next year. LoL wasn’t the only tournament around though. Attendees entered our daily challenges and on Saturday the Black Powder Ultra Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Championship went off without a hitch. Gamers were huddled around screens with their hands glued to their controllers. Even after 7 hours of playing, the final match was incredibly exciting as players powered up on Black Powder Ultra to jump into the finals. TABLE TOP LOUNGE & RETROCADEThe Tabletop Lounge saw more players than ever before in a single day. There was rarely an open seat. Saturday’s Independent Game Developer Day featured upcoming games like, “I Smash SF,” Wiggity Bang selections and “Mr. Card Game”. The developers really put together some great games for us to play and we hope they bring them back next year. Orcish Poetry brought some fine art to the room. The infamous old school Retrocade was always full with guests enjoying their favorite timeless games, including Duck Hunt, Mario Kart and Dance Dance Revolution.THEATREThe theater level had even more panels, more plays, movies and more foot traffic than year’s past.

> PANELS: Gam3r Moms, Independent Game Developers, Shooting Down Bullying in Videogames, and Diversity in Gaming really brought attendees into a new intelligent discussion regarding their favorite hobby. Walter Meyer’s presentation was especially powerful as he discussed bullying and the absolutely leveling effects of it on the psyche of gamers everywhere. His twitter app showcasing the amount of hate words being spewed every second really drove the story home for attendees. Nerdcore Nightmare shared hilarious anecdotes to the nostalgia of gamers’ pasts and how they focused that inspiration into a meaningful project in a creative way. 8 bit Cubist rocked a podcast that was not only interesting, but full of wit and charm that only gamers could appreciate. Audiences raved about the voice over panel from with some of the industry’s greats, including Fred Tatasciore, Eliza Jane Schneider, and other esteemed panelists whose imdb profiles could read like poetry to gamers and geeks the world over.> PERFORMANCES: Event goers were lucky enough to see the play that started Gam3rCon, Brian Biewalski in his hit one-man show, Gam3rs: the Play. Joining the legendary play were “I Wish My Life were an RPG” and winner of the Gam3rCon Play Contest, “War Games”, bringing the entire theater experience together. The idea of blurring videogames and the medium of theater is mirrored in other parts of the entertainment world with the increasing crossovers in movies and TV with videogames. So this relationship is only going to become more powerful and we really hope to revitalize the idea of theater being able to attract a younger audience. So far it seems to be working!> FILMS: This year we expanded our film program and featured several films that celebrated gaming culture. We launched the screenings with “Harry Potter and the 10 Years Later” which was a huge hit for our audience. Afterwards, the filmmakers shared their experiences and then joined us for a late night rooftop party. Later we screened the short film “Dungeon Master” and the fascinating documentary “Space Invaders” with filmmaker Jeff Von Ward and an animated short by the students of the New School of Design, “Shelved.”ART GALLERY:Guests stopped by the art show gallery curated by 8 Bit Cubist. Gaming industry artists showcased their video-game themed works. They created work inspired from every facet of gaming and you could truly feel that every single artists felt that same emotional pull as their work came from places of their childhood. At the art reception on Thursday night, artists shared how they experienced that joy in making their work. ROOFTOP: As attendees winded up the stairs they were greeted by perhaps the greatest space in all of San Diego, a gigantic rooftop lounge with a live band, lounge chairs, bar area, concession stand, and the amazing San Diego sun setting behind the city’s beautiful skyline. It was the perfect environment to have Off The Wall Graffiti and The Maven Imprint throw a paint party where artists collaborated and created an amazing mural that reimagined our favorite childhood memories. Mario, Sonic, Bowser, Mega Man, Tails, Pokemon and Star Wars were all there being created spray by spray by some of Los Angeles and New York’s brightest graffiti artists in real time to the live geek indie band, Chamber Band. Montana Cans generously supporting the party by donating over 60 spray cans, which is about $500 worth of art supplies. Only after 5 hours was the mural completed and the wait was worth it.The rooftop parties must be noted as a resounding success. Filking Concerts, Seekers Unlimited’s Cocktail Happy Hour, life-sized “I Smash SF” Game Play, nightly Rock Band on the Rooftop and live music all contributed to an active rooftop.On Thursday, Gam3rCon regular filkers Eben Brooks and Allison Lonsdale were joined by Hello The Future and the Canton Mudders as they impressed with every clever lyric and guitar strum.On Friday, comedians Andre “the Black Nerd” Meadows, AJ Salas and Ron Swallow tore it up the rooftop with laughter as we opened up our beer gardens from El Dorado alcohol for the first time. There was a healthy showing of cosplayers for the cosplay lounge party later that night.On Saturday, we hit capacity as Godric Johnson opened the evening’s program with his Game-Hop, followed by Radioactive Chicken Heads who shipped the crowd into a frenzy with their unbelievable costumes and punk rock inspired tunes. It was kind of a throwback to when GWAR first came onto the scene. They were followed by Kirby’s Dream Band where the rooftop had to actually be closely monitored due to the amount of people screaming and dancing. It is unfortunate that we had to turn some people away, but it is exciting to imagine what kind of potential we have for next year.

On Sunday, attendees enjoyed the Chamber Band CD release party. They were first seen during preview night but now had an entire two hours dedicated to playing their songs. Attendees during Sunday started to thin out as convention exhaustion overcame all of us, and the atmosphere was very intimate and it’s difficult to explain just how perfectly they set the tone for the last day of the convention, bringing a sense of calm, and even nirvana over the crowd.THANK YOU and FINAL THOUGHTS:On the last night, attendees and volunteers settled down with a drink in hand, and the graffiti mural being tweaked by the artists. Gam3rCon has become a family and together we continue to create community dedicated to a safe space to celebrate all things game related.Thank you everyone! This has been an unreal experience for us all. A big thank you to all of our sponsors for your support! We hope to see everyone next year and invite you to play with us throughout the year at our Game Days!